TABLE OF CONTENTS
Editorial: Mere Integration Is Not Enough!
Building an Inclusive and Accessible Canada
My First Secret Ballot
A Call for Balanced Input
Demanding Dignity, Not Deprivation
The Changing Shape of Disability Rights Work
Proactive Living for the Blind
Donating Organs, Harvesting Life
Transit Drivers Calling the Stops
Are Hybrids a Silent Danger?
Snowbank a Tripping Hazard
Crossing Signals Urged
Walking into a Revolving Door...
Whispers at Poker Table
Special Tactile Tour
Storytelling
Old-Time Radio
Asking for Better Technology
Builders Consider Mobility Issues
The Radiator, Washing Machine and Gas Pump
Creating My Own Backyard Oasis
Leading by Example
Active: But Not an Athlete
Scuba Diving Anyone?
Captaining the Blind Fishing Boat
Get Sporty
Dragon Boating the Great Equalizer
Disabilities Fade on Horse
Children with Disabilities Take to Slopes
Visually Impaired Teenager Disowned
Making a Lot of Scents
In Memoriam: Honouring Our Torch Bearers
Highlights of Recent AEBC Activities
We Support Outstanding Blind Scholars!
New Resources
Membership/CBM Subscription Form
EDITORIAL: MERE INTEGRATION IS NOT ENOUGH!
By: John Rae
In the early days of the disability rights movement, Canadians with disabilities sought integration. We wanted the opportunity to work and to escape the shackles of poverty. We wanted to go to school alongside our non-disabled peers, and to ride the same buses. We wanted to go to the movies and sit anywhere we chose and to participate in local fitness and recreational programs. We wanted to be able to use new products and emerging technologies. We wanted to live safely in our own communities and have our own families. And we wanted our human rights protected by Human Rights Codes.
In the old days, we sought "integration"--being in the same places as our non-disabled peers. It was a good starting point. It opened some doors. But too often it failed to move our position in Canadian society forward, either far enough or fast enough, and often resulted in mere tokenism.
In today's "mainstream" classrooms, do blind students have access to current adaptive technology and the training required to use it effectively? Are they instructed in braille and orientation and mobility skills so they can learn and play alongside their sighted peers? Do they receive the supports they need to succeed in school or are some just "dumped" into classes without the resources necessary for optimal learning? Every student, disabled or not, must be provided with the tools relevant to their particular education and development, to stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives.
Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees "mobility rights" to every Canadian, but being able to move from one province or territory to another isn't enough if needed disability-related services and supports don't follow you. If you happen to live in Ontario, for instance, you can qualify for its Assistive Devices Program, which pays up to 75% of the cost of many items, including computers with adaptive software. If an Ontarian moves to Manitoba, British Columbia or several other provinces and territories, access to this kind of support is lost, because many other jurisdictions still do not offer similar programs. This type of support must become universally available throughout Canada.
Technological advances were supposed to be the great equalizer and make it easier for persons with disabilities to secure and maintain employment. To some extent they have, but these advances have also made it easier for workplaces to phase out positions that used to provide employment for many.
Over the past three decades, our rate of employment has improved only slightly. At a time when a growing number of occupational fields are experiencing a shortage of skilled labour and many persons with disabilities remain unemployed or underemployed, why isn't government implementing a National Economic Strategy to bridge this gap by addressing both the chronic levels of poverty and unemployment that continue to plague so many Canadians with disabilities, including we who are blind, deaf-blind or partially sighted?
Too often the release of new versions of adaptive technology, designed to provide blind persons with access to mainstream computer programs, lags considerably behind the release of commercially available software. This produces new barriers.
Regular household products and appliances, furthermore, have traditionally been usable to the majority of the population but today, despite increased talk of "Universal Design", we are taking a step backwards, with a growing range of items operable only via digital displays or visual menus. Consumers with vision loss cannot use these products independently. In 2008, why are such barriers still being created? This represents yet another violation of our human rights. Products must be designed with everyone in mind.
Today's Canadians are becoming more environmentally conscious, leading to the ever-increasing popularity of the quiet, hybrid vehicle. While they may be friendlier to the environment--something the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians firmly applauds--quiet, hybrid cars pose a danger to pedestrians--not just those who are blind--who may not hear the approach of these stealthy automobiles. Before someone is maimed or killed on our streets, we call on manufacturers to add some feature or device to these vehicles to emit a sound loud enough for pedestrians to hear them.
The ongoing imperative that old barriers must be removed and new ones prevented is one of many reasons why the AEBC was pleased to participate in meetings that developed the National Action Plan, which focuses on Building an Inclusive and Accessible Canada for all, released at last November's End Exclusion event in Ottawa (see the text of this Action Plan elsewhere in these pages and visit the End Exclusion website at It is now up to all of us to familiarize ourselves with this National Action Plan, spread the word about it and bring its content directly to our locally elected officials.
The idea of "integration" remains laudable, but we must look far beyond merely being alongside our non-disabled counterparts. We want real inclusion and the removal of barriers so that we can realize our right to participate fully in all aspects of regular community life. In short, we want to realize the promise of the International Year of the Disabled Person 1981, which called for "full participation and equality."
FROM VISION TO ACTION: BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE CANADA
National Action Plan 2007
Background: Exclusion, poverty and isolation are a shared reality for the majority of the more than 12% of Canadians who have a disability and the 33% of Aboriginal/First Nations Canadians who have a disability. The outcomes are predictable. We know that:
* Canadians with disabilities are almost twice as likely to live in poverty compared to other Canadians.
* Over two million Canadian adults with disabilities lack one or more of the educational, workplace, aids, home modification or other supports they need to participate fully in their communities.
* Over 55% of working-age adults with disabilities are currently unemployed or out of the labour market. For women with disabilities, the rate is almost 75%.
* According to the International Labour Organization, the annual loss of global GDP due to the exclusion of persons with disabilities from the labour market is between U.S. $1.37 trillion and U.S. $1.94 trillion.
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* * More than 10,000 persons with intellectual disabilities remain warehoused in institutions across this country.
* Slightly more than half of Canadian children with disabilities do not have access to needed aids and devices.
* Rates of violence and abuse against people with disabilities, in particular women with disabilities, are among the highest for any group in Canadian society.
* We know that for Aboriginal Canadians with disabilities these rates are even higher.
While progress has been made over the past 25 years, many Canadians with disabilities and their families continue to experience daily barriers to their full and equal participation in Canadian society. The personal, social and economic costs of exclusion are too high to be ignored. Immediate action is needed to address the high rates of poverty facing Canadians with disabilities and its causes and the lack of access to disability supports that perpetuate barriers and exclusion and keep people with disabilities and their families invisible and marginalized.
Vision Is Not Enough--Action Is Required: A turning point has been reached. New ways of thinking must be adopted by employers, governments and providers of public services. A comprehensive national disability strategy is needed. Solutions are known and innovative policies and programs do exist. It is time to take action and implement solutions. Solutions are complex and multi-jurisdictional; however, this cannot be an excuse for inaction.
There are many opportunities to improve the status of Canadians with disabilities. Domestically, the current government has made a number of commitments to addressing issues facing people with disabilities and their families. A national strategy is needed to ensure these commitments work in concert and contribute to building an Inclusive and Accessible Canada.
Internationally, with the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the issue of disability is receiving significant profile. Canada demonstrated leadership by signing the CRPD on the first day it was open to signature. Ratification and implementation of the CRPD in Canada is an opportunity to take concrete steps to demonstrate the depth of commitment to people with disabilities and their families. The CRPD creates a new opportunity to demonstrate Canada's leadership in the world and confront the poverty, unemployment, lack of support, social exclusion and denial of basic rights of self-determination faced by so many people with disabilities.
On November 2, 2006, 300 Canadians with disabilities, family members and allies gathered in Ottawa at End Exclusion 2006 to support a Vision for Building An Inclusive and Accessible Canada. Over 80 organizations and 5000 individuals committed to this vision and to working together to make it a reality.
On November 22, 2007, at End Exclusion 2007, more than 300 supporters of an inclusive and accessible Canada will gather again to discuss what is needed to make our vision a reality. Canadians with disabilities and their families have developed the following policy framework and National Action Plan on Disability to guide the End Exclusion 2007 discussion and to provide a road map to help policy makers, politicians and interested Canadians in advancing a national disability strategy and in moving from Vision to Action.
Shared Vision for an Inclusive and Accessible Canada: There is a shared vision for an inclusive and accessible Canada and unprecedented consensus exists among the Canadian public, governments, the disability community and experts about the need for national action on disability issues. An Inclusive and Accessible Canada is a Canada where:
* Canadians with disabilities--children, youth, working-age adults and seniors--have the necessary support to fully access and benefit from all that Canada has to offer.
* Independent Living principles of choice, consumer control and autonomy are made real.
* Canadians with disabilities have safe, adequate, accessible housing in their community and live free from residential institutions and confinement.
* Canadians with disabilities and their families have the income, aids and devices, personal supports, medications and environmental accommodations that make social, economic, cultural and political citizenship accessible and inclusive of all.
* Women with disabilities, Aboriginal People with disabilities, persons with disabilities from visible minority communities, and those from other marginalized communities are equally able to access all aspects of and benefit from Canadian society.
* Canadians with invisible disabilities, chronic illness, episodic disabilities or environmental sensitivities, or living in rural or remote areas are equally able to access and benefit from Canadian society.
The result is that people with disabilities are able to contribute to, and benefit from, Canadian society in the same way as other Canadians. This is our Canada.
A Framework for Action: The Government of Canada can make An Inclusive and Accessible Canada a reality by initiating concerted efforts to develop a joint strategy with provincial/territorial governments and First Nations to meet the needs of Canadians with disabilities. Significant overlap exists between the federal and provincial/territorial roles for disability. As the government explores strengthening the Federation and the economic union, there must be discussion on how we, as a country, ensure that supports and services needed for the full inclusion and active citizenship of people with disabilities and their family are being provided.
To be effective, a National Action Plan on Disability must transcend our traditional fragmented, reactive approach to disability. It must involve comprehensive short- and long-range plans and decisive action to create a national environment in which people with disabilities can and do achieve their full potential.
The Government of Canada has committed to bringing forward a Federal Disability Act. Canadians with disabilities will support a Federal Disability Act that moves forward quickly, encompasses the issues identified below, allocates significant resources for improving access and inclusion, and ensures a mechanism for strong enforcement of access and inclusion.
The development of a Federal Disability Act cannot preclude action in other areas nor can Canadians with disabilities and their families wait for a Federal Disability Act to implement reforms that are desperately needed now.
For an Inclusive and Accessible Canada to be a reality, the Government of Canada must show leadership by enhancing their role in four key areas:
* * Enhanced disability supports to enable Independent Living, active citizenship and full participation;
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* * An enhanced Federal role in alleviating poverty of persons with disabilities and their families, thus freeing up dollars at provincial/territorial levels for new investments in disability supports;
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* * Labour force inclusion measures;
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* * A national social development role to promote accessibility and community inclusion.
A Framework for a National Action Plan on Disability:
1. New Investments in Disability-Related Supports
Properly executed new investments can bring change to the lives of people with disabilities. An appropriately targeted investment in disability-related supports would assist Canadians with disabilities to participate in early learning and childcare, become educated and employed, live more independently, and look after their families.
Such an investment is the priority of the disability community and is the foundation upon which a comprehensive National Action Plan on Disability must be built. Central to this initiative is a commitment to deinstitutionalization and removing the stigma attached to disability.
The Government of Canada must:
* Create the national social, economic and political conditions for people with disabilities to empower themselves and to achieve their full potential.
* Work with provinces and territories to explore ways of increasing access to and improving the range of available disability supports.
* Work with provinces and territories to provide support for the building of safe, affordable, accessible and supportive housing.
* Acknowledge that residential institutions have no place in the lives of people with disabilities and support provinces and territories to finish the process of closure.
* Work with Band Councils to ensure equal access to disability-related supports for First Nations people with disabilities living on reserve.
2. New Initiatives to Alleviate Poverty
The poverty of Canadians with disabilities is a national disgrace. Canadians with disabilities and their families are twice as likely to live in poverty as other Canadians and the incidence of poverty among Aboriginal People with disabilities is even higher. Existing systems of income support are failing Canadians with disabilities. The Government of Canada must commit to addressing poverty and reforming Canada's income support programs for Canadians with disabilities.
First steps could include:
* Making the Disability Tax Credit Refundable.
* Making those eligible for Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefits automatically eligible for the Disability Tax Credit.
* Making Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefits non-taxable.
* Expanding Employment Insurance Sick Benefits to 52 weeks.
* Ensuring new federal benefits such as the Registered Disability Savings Plan are not clawed back by provinces and territories from those on social assistance.
Long-term reforms could include:
An expanded federal role in income support for Canadians with disabilities, thus freeing up resources at provincial and territorial levels for re-investment in supports and services.
3. New Supports to Increase Access to Labour Force Participation
Through Advantage Canada and the recent budget, the Government of Canada committed to increasing access to training, education, accommodation and labour market attachment for people with disabilities. We believe this would be done most effectively by establishing a two-track strategy:
* Establish specific targets for Canadians with disabilities in Labour Market Development Agreements (LMDA) negotiated with the provinces. Having a specific target for Canadians with disabilities should be a requirement of transfer of both EI and Consolidated Revenue Funds to the provinces/territories.
* Transforming provincial/territorial labour market systems to address barriers to people with disabilities will take some time. In the meantime, both the Multilateral Framework Agreement on Labour Force Participation of People with Disabilities and the Opportunities Fund should be expanded to ensure greater capacity at the provincial/territorial level to address barriers, and through the Opportunities Fund to demonstrate innovation in labour force inclusion. These funds must not be rolled into the LMDAs or new labour market transfers to the provinces and territories until it is demonstrated that LMDAs are capable of addressing disability in a substantive way; and that the lessons, incentives and strategies are being incorporated into these generic systems from those developed through the Multi-Lateral and Opportunities Fund programming.